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Wednesday, April 17, 2013

The Key to Engagement is Narrative

Customer engagement, employee
engagement, and supplier engagement are hot topics in quality
management. We know that engagement (which is marked by rich interaction
and involvement) is different than participation (just showing up;
typically in the quality domain we don’t distinguish between active
participation and being a spectator). Consumers can either participate or be engaged; prosumers are always engaged.The key to achieving engagement is to develop a narrative.
A hero’s journey with one role specifically less defined, waiting for
someone to step into its import, and in doing so – fulfill a slice of
their own destiny.As explained by novelist Justine Musk, engagement (from the perspective of how the concept can be used to become a better blogger) is this:

John Hagel makes the distinction between story and narrative.1. Stories are finite: they have a beginning, a middle, and an end resolution.2. Stories center on a protagonist. You are meant to identify with that character.The inherent message is Listen.1. Narratives are open-ended. They lack resolution. They are in the very process of unfolding.2. They invite you to participate and help determine the outcome. It’s up to “you” to shape how this story will end.The inherent message is Join.“Narratives motivate actions,”
Hagel notes. “In some cases, they motivate life and death choices…Every
powerful movement that has impacted our world has been shaped and
energized by a potent narrative.”A narrative pulls the reader into
the hero role, and you, as mentor, give her the tools, gifts and
knowledge that enable her quest.Hagel makes the point that
narratives happen on personal, institutional and social levels. These
narratives nestle inside each other like Russian dolls.